Finger Furniture parcel off Gulf Freeway bought by Houston developer

The historic Finger Furniture building on the Gulf Freeway just south of downtown has a new owner.

Houston developer Frank Liu has purchased the 16-plus-acre tract at the corner of the Gulf Freeway and Cullen Boulevard not far from the University of Houston.

Houston brokerage firm Wulfe & Co. marketed the property for a variety of possibilities, ranging from student housing to big box stores to apartments or a combination of uses. The property, once home to the Houston Buffs baseball team, was the subject of a Deal of the Week story.

Liu has developed a number of townhomes, single-family homes and commercial projects around the Houston area. His brands include Lovett Homes and InTown Homes.

Tony Patronella with Read King represented Liu in the purchase, as well as the sale by Liu of another East End tract adjacent to Austin High School. Houston Independent School District purchased 8.9 acres at Ernestine and Lockwood for the expansion of the campus.

Liu bought the Finger property to develop into the highest and best use, which could be retail or residential, Patronella said.

“It’s the only corner on (Interstate) 45 that is between downtown and Gulfgate of any size,” Patronella said.

He noted that a Walmart Supercenter recently opened on another long-vacant corner at Wayside and Interstate 45. The site was formerly home to Oshman’s sporting goods warehouse.

“The East End is coming back big time,” Patronella said. “All the development from downtown is moving in that direction.”